When I was in Grade V, I learned the basic stitches for crochet.  I even made a small table runner as a school project. I could still vividly remember that particular project. I used bright orange yarn, it took me over a month to complete and the teacher gave me 82% grade for all my efforts. I was fuming mad because I put aside my daily guava tree climbing haunts for several weeks to complete the project only to be given an  82%! It was totally unacceptable but in retrospect, the teacher was probably right in giving me that grade. Lol! It really looked weird, I was supposed to make something from a flower pattern but well what I made was nowhere near resembling a flower.

Fast forward to now, I have mentioned getting back into doing some crafts again.Since we had been living in Phnom Penh my crafting instincts have been laying dormant. I wanted to do some jewelry making again but at very limited quantities only plus I want to experiment with making beads and metal clay art. I’ll probably start with that when I have all things I need together already. Some I’ve already ordered online, some I’m still searching for reliable suppliers and some I want to buy in the Philippines.

While waiting for that, I also want to be productive. so I had been trying to explore and learn about the world of crochet! Why I got into this? Well, a good friend here in Phnom Penh, Zarah is into it and also materials for simple crochet projects can be easily found here in Phnom Penh. Another thing is that, you can actually make crocheted embellishments for jewelry, accessories and also for handbags!

Yesterday, my friends and I were in O’ Russei Market looking for some crafting supplies. For starters I got two kinds of crocheting thread. One a bit thick, another thin and small plus one crocheting needle. I was so excited to get started so the minute I got home, I put on my notebook and proceeded to search the net for how to’s and downloaded some really basic patterns. After I printed out my pick – a simple flower pattern using just chain, single crochet, double crochet and triple crochet stitches. It was simple enough for me because it came with illustrations on how to do each type of stitch and easy to follow instructions.

I spent about an hour on that teeny weeny flower crochet pattern and when I was done I was so dismayed. It didn’t even resemble a flower.I’m pretty sure it was the counting I made mistake at. Whew! I didn’t realize math would be involved in this and math has always been my Waterloo! That’s my excuse anyway..

Chinks put it this way, “Wow! Mommy you made a M-U-S-H-R-O-O-M!” I really had to laugh at that! At least it resembled something even if its a mushroom. Thank God, she didn’t say it looked like poo..

My attempt at a flower pattern..lol!

She had been sitting beside me while I was struggling to make my first flower crochet and the little fashionista suddenly had an idea. She asked me if I could make her a lot of those small crochet flowers in different colors then string it together and make her a bracelet. Gulp! I haven’t even made one (a good one anyway) and now she’s asking me to make a lot? That’s a tall order, but I’m up to the challenge.. So after this post, I’ll be on my second crochet masterpiece. And I promise to post the photo..

Have you ever been accused of doing something you didn’t do? There are things like that happen, mostly small things and I can still remember some things in my childhood when I had been accused of something I didn’t even know or do. How does it feel? Helpless, frustrating and at a loss because I didn’t know how to prove my innocence. Good thing what happened to me was just something minor, just petty kids stuff.

Please allow me to deviate from my usual living in Phnom Penh, lifestyle, and Cambodia-related topics. You see, one of my daily morning routines is to check news online and after I browsed around my usual sources of Phnom Penh news, I turned to international news. Some featured article in CNN caught my eye and I read on. Seldom does an article touch me mainly because I’ve probably grown immune with the media’s tendency to over sensationalize everything, but this one was different. It made me feel.. You can read the article here.

It’s about Greg Taylor, a man who has been locked away in prison, accused of murder and just now after 16 years was proven to be innocent. The article by Stephanie Chen describes how Greg sees the world after 16 years of being in a time machine. Technology, changes are all new things for him and the article really paints a very poignant story of a man trying to deal with the present after being in prison for almost two decades.

What makes Greg’s story all the more heartbreaking is that after all things that happened to him, he just received $45 check to cover his hotel expenses after getting out of prison. The man lost almost everything! His family, his wife, his friends, the dignity and respect of people around him, and most of all the time, especially the time to be spent with his daughter who was 9 when he was imprisoned and now a 26 year old. Can that $45 really cover that?? Is there any justice for this guy? What about those who wrongfully accused him and robbed him of 16 years of his life?

I can’t help but be touched by his ordeal. And to top all that, despite all bad things that came his way, he has the will to go on. He’s keen on keeping up and making changes and not be a burden to his daughter and has a positive outlook. Inspiring to say the least..For me now, he’s the perfect example of strength of spirit and the will to move on with life..

I woke up really early today. For some reason I was not really sleepy though I went to bed very late last night. I fixed breakfast for Hi-ace and Chinks (not a very hard thing to do anyway, they like eating light breakfast..), then I just stood near the sink, holding my acne face wash, and staring at the mirror. I didn’t realize I was standing there for more than five minutes when Hi-ace finally gave me a nudge.

This is not me, but I look like this when I’m thinking..Really.

When I’m being like this he’s just cool with it. I guess he already accepted the fact that he married a semi-lunatic moody wife, with a weird artistic temperament. Okay, so he just raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are you okay, Hon-hon?” That woke me up from my reverie, mainly because he quit calling me “Your Highness” and reverted back to calling me “Hon-hon”. Or maybe he could guess I was not in a joking mood, hmm?

Anyway, the reason I’ve been having tulala bouts (err long stretches of absent mindedness) is that I’ve been longing to do something with my hands again. I’ve always been the arts and craft type, I need to always have something where I could channel my creative drive to. Otherwise, I usually end up always obnoxious and overbearing lol! For the past few days I’ve been surfing the net like mad for some crafts supplies but not much luck really.

First Try on Spiral Seed Bead Bracelet

I’ve decided to do more beading and jewelry. Not on a commercial scale but more like a hobby, a pastime for me. Making a business out of it is also a little hard here in Phnom Penh as materials cannot be easily sourced. I’m very picky when it comes to materials for making patterned beading. For one, the quality of the beads really makes or breaks the piece. I prefer even sized beads which I could only find in Japanese made beads, which I can’t find here in Phnom Penh. Another thing is that, beading takes time and effort so I would want my pieces to be of top quality. So, the next best option for me is to order online and have it shipped here.

Beaded Cellphone Charms From My Leftover Beads

Shipping is also another concern. I’ve looked into creating my own beads using metal clay and polymer clay. The clay is relatively inexpensive, but it is heavy and bulky and though shipping rates are just okay, but I’m pretty concerned about customs and duties that I’ll be billed with when it arrives here. I’ve been searching like mad too for customs and duties rates here in Cambodia, I’ve also been asking around but I only got really frustrated. It seems to be that the rates are on a whim? And being a foreinger, I’ll probably be billed a couple more times than the usual..

Another idea I have been pondering on is having custom made handbags in simple, functional designs then I’ll have it embellished with beads, crochet items etc. I found lots of patterns I like online and I picked some that I can make with muslin fabric and I also like bags using denim fabrics..I’ll probably have some sewed by my tailor when I go home in July then I’ll bring over samples and look for a tailor here to do it for me.

Just like the sling bag above. I want to have it sewn in a different fabric, preferably plain, then I’ll have it embellished, free form. Hayy, I’m actually chokefull of ideas.. I wish I could get my hands into some materials soon. I’ll be exploring O’Russey Market within the next few days and I’ll see what I could come up with..

I was unable to sleep again last night so I downloaded Hi-ace’s photos from their recent Preah Vihear-Siem Reap- Battambang trip. It was his students from PUC who organized the tour mainly for their community outreach projects. We were supposed to join but we were unsure about the road conditions and we don’t want to drag Chinks on a road trip that would last for 3 days. Hi-ace also told me that the landscape would be pretty dreary and dusty because its dry season.

He was right. Not much greens around and it was really really dusty. Road conditions were okay. Though there were certain parts going to Preah Vihear where the bus had a hard time going through particularly some bridges.

Once they reached the base of the mountain where the temples are, buses cannot go on anymore. The Preah Vihear temples are located on a mountain and I was surprised to learn, its not just one temple but several, all around the mountain. So you are in for a steep climbing and walking exercise till you reach the last temple perched near the summit of the mountain. I guess this makes these temples extra special. And Hi-ace says, the views not to mention the temples is more than enough to make up for the effort in going there..

The road going up the temples is well paved but it was very steep. Scary, really just looking at the photos but they seemed to be having the time of their lives and if it was me, I would be enjoying the adventure too (sans Chinkee though)..Only those hardy 4×4′s and expert drivers can really navigate these roads, I think. Makes me think that really you’re in the middle of nowhere..

Some of the  photos were taken while on the bus so some might be blurry. I demanded err requested Hi-ace to take lots of photos and he did. lol!  Hmm, I guess if you’re looking for some adventure this is one place to go..

Will post Preah Vihear Temple photos next. Check out my PHOTOS page for more photos.

Another long overdue post.. This is the sequel to my Koh Kong Trip, Part I, which I know I should have posted ages ago but due to combined reasons of laziness, procrastination, convenient memory gaps, on top of Facebook addiction, well, I am now months late in posting this update.

After that refreshing Koh Kong Tatai Waterfalls picnic and swimming, we all piled ourselves in the van and headed towards Koh Kong City. This was another scenic drive and in just thirty minutes we were in Koh Kong town proper. Hmm, a very typical Cambodian town, the only difference was that the roads were wider or maybe it was because it was 12 noon and no one wants to beat the heat of the sun and stay on the road..

Photo above is the riverfront and that long bridge going towards the Thai border – Had Lek. After a few minutes driving around and checking guesthouses, we settled on Bopha Koh Kong Hotel. Not exactly five star accommodations but the rooms were huge and comfy. We got a twin room with ensuite bathroom with hot shower, a TV with lots of channels though mostly Thai, a personal ref and AC. Not bad at all for $18 only per night. In Koh Kong, Thai Bahts are generally more acceptable than the US Dollars or Cambodian Riels.

It was already 1 pm and you can bet I was hungry already. Thankfully, our relatives were done with their quick showers and we all piled up on the van again to have lunch somewhere. We stopped in a small resto, no signs on it, but its right on the riverfront, with several vans parked in front. I was pretty apprehensive about eating on the shack-type restaurant but I went along as this seemed to be the choice of my sister-in-law. But wow! I shouldn’t have been that scared. Let me just put it this way, that must have been the tastiest Khmer  and Thai food I’ve ever had, and I’ve had plenty. To this day, I could still imagine savoring that spicy Tom Yum soup we had, and I’m not even exaggerating. It’s just too bad I wasn’t able to take photos and I was also shy about asking them to wait before sampling the food whilst I was taking pictures of it. They already think I’m plenty weird so I settled on not having photos of the food.